How much dog hair is acceptable in a homebrew?

[PashMaddle]

I just finished cleaning/prepping for my brew day and while doing so I introduced, by way of being a big dummy, a good bit of dog hair into my equipment which made a "quick" 30 minute clean turn into an hour and a half. We have dogs and hardwood/tile floors, dogs have fur, and it seems that no matter how often you sweep/vacuum said fur from said floor (pretty much daily), it returns...quickly ...and with a vengeance. Heaven forbid that a kid comes bouncing through the room and stirs up dust/dog hair.... then its airborne and that's even more fun.

Anyway... This got me to thinking about the fact that I can't be the only homebrewer with dogs and, by proxy, not the only homebrewer that has encountered dog hair in their equipment. So, is a dog hair going to ruin my brew? Any tips for keeping it out?

I doubt it's a big problem, just thought I would ask.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Hair of the dog", short for "hair of the dog that bit you", is a colloquial expression in the English language predominantly used to refer to alcohol that is consumed as a hangover remedy(with the aim of lessening the effects of a hangover). Many other languages have their own phrase to describe the same concept. The idea may have some basis in science in the difference between ethanol and methanol metabolism.

 

[McMullan]

The only thing that really helps is brushing the dog more often. Preferably outside.

 

[donk5]

Having 3 long haired big dogs, their fur gets into literally everything, and so it is an inevitable ingredient in every one of my batches. It is their contribution. No issues.

 

[GoodTruble]

Our dog doesn't shed =c). But when we got a cat, I relocated my entire brewing operation to the basement/cellar, where the cat isn't allowed, because there was no way to keep the cat from touching stuff (too agile and curious). It worked out better for everyone and allowed me to expand my operation a bit.

Even if you don't have a different dog-free space to move to, maybe brewing outdoors could be an option?

 

[PashMaddle]

Having 3 long haired big dogs, their fur gets into literally everything, and so it is an inevitable ingredient in every one of my batches. It is their contribution. No issues.

Geez...
I have two: the smaller of the two being the major contributor of the shedding

and the big dog doesn't shed a whole lot.... he's just a big ole dog and contributes primarily by size.
I can't imagine having three, all with long hair
....actually...
.... yeah...I can and it kinda sounds awesome... (my youngest daughter and I are trying to convince my wife that we need a Leonberger)

 

[PashMaddle]

Our dog doesn't shed =c). But when we got a cat, I relocated my entire brewing operation to the basement/cellar, where the cat isn't allowed, because there was no way to keep the cat from touching stuff (too agile and curious). It worked out better for everyone and allowed me to expand my operation a bit.

Even if you don't have a different dog-free space to move to, maybe brewing outdoors could be an option?

what's a "dog free space?"

you mean like at work?


Sorry.... I have velcro dogs, they're always nearby.... whether we like it or not.
I could brew in the garage but there's no water out there (the hose is about 60' away) which is my main reason for brewing in the laundry room.

 

[GoodTruble]

what's a "dog free space?"

you mean like at work?

Like a room or area where dog isn't allowed.

 

[PashMaddle]

Like a room or area where dog isn't allowed.

Nah, the dogs are pretty well behaved, so they get free reign of the house....hence the dog hair lol.
But (on topic and my silliness aside) I might be able to brew in the garage because the dogs don't go in there often. its just cold out there, there's no water and I would have to clean the garage to do it....

 

[donk5]

Geez...
I have two: the smaller of the two being the major contributor of the shedding

and the big dog doesn't shed a whole lot.... he's just a big ole dog and contributes primarily by size.
I can't imagine having three, all with long hair
....actually...
.... yeah...I can and it kinda sounds awesome... (my youngest daughter and I are trying to convince my wife that we need a Leonberger)

Love Leo's. I have a Bernese Mountain/Golden mix, Bernese Mountain, and a Newfoundland/Great Pyrenees mix. Hair everywhere. I gave up on the hair a long time ago.

 

[skunkape]

I could brew in the garage but there's no water out there (the hose is about 60' away) which is my main reason for brewing in the laundry room.

Glad to know there are others who are brewing in the laundry room besides me. My first brew in the new place was in the bar area of the downstairs den. Momma put a stop to that when she got home and could smell hot wort upstairs. Now I brew in the laundry room with the door closed and the back door open. She swears she can still smell it but I think she’s just being dramatic. At least there’s a sink in the laundry room. No dogs tho… lost my Jack Russell to cancer in 2009 and haven’t replaced him yet. I don’t miss the hair tumbleweeds but I do miss my pal. He wasn’t much of a brewer but he was always interested in the process.

 

[PashMaddle]

Love Leo's. I have a Bernese Mountain/Golden mix, Bernese Mountain, and a Newfoundland/Great Pyrenees mix. Hair everywhere. I gave up on the hair a long time ago.

My youngest would probably try to move in with you just so she could hug your doggos...

We have a Dachshund/ lab mix (she does most of the shedding) and a Doberman (the goofball in my avatar). I considered getting a BMD a while back, but we live in the (deeeeeep) south and summer is brutal, I wouldn't want to subject a dog with a thick coat to all of that.

 

[PashMaddle]

Glad to know there are others who are brewing in the laundry room besides me. My first brew in the new place was in the bar area of the downstairs den. Momma put a stop to that when she got home and could smell hot wort upstairs. Now I brew in the laundry room with the door closed and the back door open. She swears she can still smell it but I think she’s just being dramatic. At least there’s a sink in the laundry room. No dogs tho… lost my Jack Russell to cancer in 2009 and haven’t replaced him yet. I don’t miss the hair tumbleweeds but I do miss my pal. He wasn’t much of a brewer but he was always interested in the process.

Oh, that sucks. I'm sorry to hear about your friend.

The wife hasn't nixed my brewing indoors yet, but I'm only about to start my second AG brew (extract didn't seem to have as strong of a smell). I doubt she will since it was sort of her idea for me to go with an AIO system instead of propane anyway. Our laundry room isn't a bad place to brew (with the exception of the ever-present dog hair) there's a utility sink, shelves, a cabinet and a countertop. If it had another 240 outlet, it would be perfect. Hell...I could even say that my wife does laundry in the brew room.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

My beer room is a vestibule to the back yard. During a brew day, the dogs make their way back and forth. The Great Dane loves water, so she's always around when she hears liquid flowing. The Lab mix just loves being around me.

We keep our house as clean as sanely possible, but you can't avoid the occasional late dog hair addition or dry hopping with some fur.

Don't tell anyone that's ever had my beer, but once I caught the Diane taking a couple laps out of a freshly filled keg.

 

[wepeeler]

My Aussie sheds what seems like her entire coat every 3 days. I try to keep her out of the brew room, but yeah right. I use a Dyson regularly and Swiffer at least 1x a week. Never had issues with the beer as far as dog hair is concerned.

 

[sampling6391]

I brew outside and once transferred to the fermentation vessel, it is only one oxygen-less keg transfer away before it’s ready for the kegerator which will avoid any animal hair before it gets to a cup. But during the boil I don’t cover the kettle so my biggest concern are birds flying overhead…knock on wood I haven’t had one land a direct hit or anything but maybe I should get a pop up canopy

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I have 2 large fluffy doggos, 80-100lb boys. If there's not dog hair in my food, beer, or anything and everything else I would be lost.

 

[fluketamer]

Glad to know there are others who are brewing in the laundry room besides me. My first brew in the new place was in the bar area of the downstairs den. Momma put a stop to that when she got home and could smell hot wort upstairs. Now I brew in the laundry room with the door closed and the back door open. She swears she can still smell it but I think she’s just being dramatic. At least there’s a sink in the laundry room. No dogs tho… lost my Jack Russell to cancer in 2009 and haven’t replaced him yet. I don’t miss the hair tumbleweeds but I do miss my pal. He wasn’t much of a brewer but he was always interested in the process.

im sorry for your loss . you know you gave him a great life and a better one than any he could have had. i am a cat guy . please dont hate. recently my boy got into trouble when he tried to digest an 18 inch piece of shoelace. hes my brew partner and i dont know how i would have brewed without him if it didnt go right.

but that brings me back to the OP question. so does dog hair ruin brew? i can surely say 2 things .
1 it cant be any worse than cat hair:

and

2) prolly more hair than you think. i think our beers are more forgiving than we think . a good healthy pitch of yeast nice and early should beat out any bugs from the pets hair or any hair. i doubt anyone here wears a hair net when they brew. im not saying to let him play in the brew bag like i do but that batch came out just as good as the others.

 

[gunhaus]

LOL - The silly things you all worry about - a little dog hair! HA! I posted on here once some time ago, that I often brew out on the front porch, and overhanging the porch near my boil pot is a large crab apple tree. I once walked away for a while while the boil was building, knowing full well an unwatched pot is bound to boil over. Thankfully I did not get a boil over - when I came back I had a fine rolling boil with a nice protein break - Unfortunately the protein included a chipmunk that had gone full on LandPhil into my otherwise ordinary Bitter! DOG HAIR is for amateurs!!!!

 

[mac_1103]

So, is a dog hair going to ruin my brew?

Hot side or cold side?

 

[PashMaddle]

Hot side or cold side?

Hot side. I don’t think there’s any way to get any in there after fermentation.

…I’m probably wrong though because my cold side setup is pretty low tech as of right now.

 

[PashMaddle]

LOL - The silly things you all worry about - a little dog hair! HA! I posted on here once some time ago, that I often brew out on the front porch, and overhanging the porch near my boil pot is a large crab apple tree. I once walked away for a while while the boil was building, knowing full well an unwatched pot is bound to boil over. Thankfully I did not get a boil over - when I came back I had a fine rolling boil with a nice protein break - Unfortunately the protein included a chipmunk that had gone full on LandPhil into my otherwise ordinary Bitter! DOG HAIR is for amateurs!!!!

“Theodore’s last hurrah Bitter ale” ?

That is nuts, I feel like you moved into “stew” territory once you added a chipmunk….

 

[PashMaddle]

I have 2 large fluffy doggos, 80-100lb boys. If there's not dog hair in my food, beer, or anything and everything else I would be lost.

This describes my situation…and opinion succinctly. I just wanted to be sure it wasn’t gonna hurt nuffin.

 

[gunhaus]

“Theodore’s last hurrah Bitter ale” ?

That is nuts, I feel like you moved into “stew” territory once you added a chipmunk….

I didn't really "add" him - but it did turn out a good Bitter, and I do have a lot of chipmunks around the yard . . . . How do ya add that as an adjunct on Brew Smith?

 

[PashMaddle]

I didn't really "add" him - but it did turn out a good Bitter, and I do have a lot of chipmunks around the yard . . . . How do ya add that as an adjunct on Brew Smith?

“Simon’s swan dive”

Naming this is fun…

 

[gunhaus]

“Simon’s swan dive”

Naming this is fun…

Think the name is fun - close your eyes and envision the graphic art possibilities for the cans!!!

 

[seatazzz]

We have three cats and two dogs; two of the cats and both dogs are black. Just about everything I brew has a few black cat/dog hairs in it (and also some things I cook). If I hadn't settled on my brewery name years ago, it would be called Black Dog (or Cat) Brewing. No brewday is complete without at least one black pet hair in there. Has nothing to do with where the pets are allowed to be, the damn hairs are pernicious. I could clean my house every day (who does that??) and they would still be around. Doesn't bother me a bit.

 

[mac_1103]

I feel like you moved into “stew” territory once you added a chipmunk….

Not unless he made a roux.

 

[Rish]

Just consider it part of the @PashMaddle terroir and brew on!

 

[PashMaddle]

Think the name is fun - close your eyes and envision the graphic art possibilities for the cans!!!

Well I was going to design some labels for my brown ale tonight, but it seems now that my plans have changed.

 

[skunkape]

im sorry for your loss . you know you gave him a great life and a better one than any he could have had. i am a cat guy . please dont hate. recently my boy got into trouble when he tried to digest an 18 inch piece of shoelace. hes my brew partner and i dont know how i would have brewed without him if it didnt go right.

I read somewhere that once a cat takes up a string or shoelace in this case, their rough tongue makes it impossible for it to go any direction but down the hatch. And also, trying to pull it back out the mouth once partially ingested or out the rear once partially expelled is a really bad idea. Passing it completely or surgical removal then become the only options. So your cat could end up spending some amount of time with a second tail of sorts. Was he able to work it out conventionally?

The closest situation I've seen involved the same Jack. On our daily outing, he took a dump and then began walking oddly. I noticed he had a dangling turd which turned out to be attached to one of my wife's long hairs he had somehow ingested. I'm always giving her a hard time about the way her hair ends up everywhere - usually when she complained about the dog hair. Now hers was turning up inside the dog. I imagine some of his was passing thru us as well.

 

[Dland]

I just finished cleaning/prepping for my brew day and while doing so I introduced, by way of being a big dummy, a good bit of dog hair into my equipment which made a "quick" 30 minute clean turn into an hour and a half. We have dogs and hardwood/tile floors, dogs have fur, and it seems that no matter how often you sweep/vacuum said fur from said floor (pretty much daily), it returns...quickly ...and with a vengeance. Heaven forbid that a kid comes bouncing through the room and stirs up dust/dog hair.... then its airborne and that's even more fun.

Anyway... This got me to thinking about the fact that I can't be the only homebrewer with dogs and, by proxy, not the only homebrewer that has encountered dog hair in their equipment. So, is a dog hair going to ruin my brew? Any tips for keeping it out?

I doubt it's a big problem, just thought I would ask.

It is your beer, you are brewing it, presumably drinking it. Acceptable dog hair content is up to you, and don't let anyone tell you different.

Personally, I'd probably draw the line short of the whole dog, 'cause then it would be stew, and perhaps beyond the preview of this forum.

 

[MaxStout]

 

[PCABrewing]

Anyway... This got me to thinking about the fact that I can't be the only homebrewer with dogs and, by proxy, not the only homebrewer that has encountered dog hair in their equipment. So, is a dog hair going to ruin my brew? Any tips for keeping it out?

I say use as much as is required to achieve the flavor profile you are striving for.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

The big problem with dog hair as an adjunct is the lack of enzymes. Make sure your grain bill is up to the task of converting it to sugar. On the up side, it's a pretty good source of wild yeasts.

 

[PashMaddle]

im sorry for your loss . you know you gave him a great life and a better one than any he could have had. i am a cat guy . please dont hate. recently my boy got into trouble when he tried to digest an 18 inch piece of shoelace. hes my brew partner and i dont know how i would have brewed without him if it didnt go right.

I read the entire post earlier and laughed (reaction) but somehow I missed this part and only noticed when skunkape quoted it. Apologies, that’s not funny.

The cat doing the cat thing in the kettle is funny though. Glad your buddy is alright.

I also don’t subscribe to the “cat person/dog person” philosophy. I just like animals…. More than I like most people. So I won’t hate on cat people.

 

[zipster222]

Does gelatin fining work on dog hair?

 

[PashMaddle]

Does gelatin fining work on dog hair?

No idea, I imagine it may grab some of it but that is purely speculation.
Good question though.